1. Brooklyn Nets

It should come as no surprise, considering that this team has been aggressive with acquiring talent since Mikhail Prokhorov became the owner.

Now All-Stars Deron Williams and Joe Johnson have championship experience to draw from for the 2013-14 campaign.

The Nets' purpose is obvious—a championship—so their play has to match that intention.

Brooklyn needs to win immediately and impressively.

In fact, this is the most “win now” roster since the Heatles formed back in the summer of 2010.

With so many intriguing 2013-14 NBA storylines that include the Miami Heat gunning for a third consecutive championship and the official return of Derrick Rose, the Nets have done a good job of securing some of the spotlight for themselves.

Now they are obligated to make a statement early in the season to show that the upside of bringing in championship veterans, no matter how aged, far exceeds the downside.

2. Toronto Raptors

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A strong start for the Toronto Raptors could mean their first playoff appearance since the 2007-08 season.

Last year the team finished four games behind the No. 8-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.

The Bucks, along with the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks, rounded out the bottom three Eastern Conference postseason teams of 2013, and with each team undergoing major changes this past summer, they may not make it back for 2014.

The Raptors are still mostly intact, and with the lower playoff seeds practically up for grabs, a postseason berth is theirs for the taking.

Given that it doesn’t take much to break through in the East, adding five or six wins to the 34 they earned last season is not an unattainable goal.

One way to put themselves on the playoff track is to win as frequently as they can early on.

Quick wins can act as a buffer if and when they get stuck in the doldrums.

There’s no reason to believe the Raptors can’t start fast this season.

They went 7-3 in their final 10 games last year and have looked pretty solid during the preseason.

With a little focus, Canada may play host to some playoff contests.

3. Golden State Warriors

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The Golden State Warriors need an early-season victory frenzy mainly for protection against themselves.

While stacked with great talent, Golden State is one injury-prone team.

Star guard Stephen Curry did well to play in 78 games last year but will need an equally healthy campaign in order to fully convince onlookers that his 26-game 2011-12 debacle is truly behind him.

Andrew Bogut gives the team a legitimate presence in the middle, but he hasn’t had a chance to really make his presence felt since he’s only played in 44 games over the last two years.

It would be great to think optimistically and claim that the team has gotten over the injury bug; however, logic dictates that precautionary measures be taken.

Golden State must do everything it can to protect itself against any kind of fallout if any of its major contributors are forced to miss time.

Now considering that the team’s point differential went from plus-9.2 with Westbrook in the regular season to plus-1.4 without him in the postseason, and it becomes apparent that the Thunder need to get off to a fast start to stay near the front of a much-improved conference pack.

Given their offensive output in recent years, the Thunder are going to need some consistent scoring from someone other than Durant while Westbrook is out.

There are no standout players on the roster who fit that bill, so it is going to have to be a collective effort.

5. Indiana Pacers

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The good news from last season is that the Indiana Pacers won their first Central Division title since the 2003-04 season.

The bad news is they did it winning 49 games, benefiting from a Chicago Bulls team that was without Derrick Rose.